Relief for Indian techies, H-1B Visa extensions to continue

After the generated blowback about Trump administration's plan to curb H-1B visa extensions that could result in self-deportation of Indians in US, the US Chamber of Commerce warned it would be "tremendously bad policy" to tell highly skilled people they cannot stay any longer in the United States.

The announcement came days after reports emerged that the Trump administration was considering tightening H-1B visa rules that could lead to deportation of 7,50,000 Indians.

What is H-1B visa? However, the USCIS "is not considering a regulatory change that would force H-1B visa holders to leave the United States", the organisation announced - with USCIS media relations head Jonathan Withington adding that "even if it were, such a change would not likely result in these H-1B visa holders having to leave the United States because employers could request extensions in one-year increments" under a different section of the visa code.

The statement comes after last week's news report by US-based news agency McClatchy DC Bureau according to which the United States was considering new regulations to prevent the extension of H-1B visas, the most sought after by Indian IT professionals. Although, the department has refuted this claim and said "any suggestion that USCIS changed its position because of pressure is absolutely false".

Following recent news reportsthat U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was planning a policy change that would prevent H-1B workers caught in the green card backlog from extending their status, the agency is indicating now that it is not pursuing such a proposal. But the Trump administration can change through executive action only those aspects of the H-1B programme that were effected through executive actions. "While it remains a priority to invest in training and create a pipeline of skilled American workers, we must continue to leverage the talent and expertise of the hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa holders to fill the gaps in our domestic workforce", Gabbard said.

"It also taught us that if you are determined and hard working and follow the established process, there are opportunities for everyone", said Alok Madasani, an H-1B visa holder and survivor of last year's shooting in Olathe, Kansas.

RELATED NEWS

49ers LB Reuben Foster arrested on marijuana charge in Alabama
The former Alabama product played in 10 games a year ago with San Francisco, still finishing second on the team with 59 tackles. He then failed a mandatory drug test, which came back as dilute and, per league rules, had to be treated as positive. 1/13/2018

KKK leader at center of 'Mississippi Burning' case dies in prison
James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner initially went missing after being arrested by local police and then released. The three men were initially considered missing, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined in the search to find them. 1/13/2018

Gender off Qld driver's licences 'due to federal Act'
The change also removed height off the physical licence, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR ) confirmed. She told the Courier Mail that it is offensive to taxpayers that their money has been "wasted on this rubbish". 1/13/2018

BB&T (BBT) Given Media Sentiment Score of 0.13
The company was maintained on Friday, September 15 by Jefferies. (NYSE:AWI) on Wednesday, January 27 to "Buy" rating. Perhaps, that suggests something about why 0.65% of the outstanding share supply is held by institutional investors. 1/13/2018

SL Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Enbridge Inc (ENB)
Woodstock Corp increased its stake in Enbridge Inc (ENB) by 14.23% based on its latest 2017Q3 regulatory filing with the SEC. After $2.72 actual EPS reported by The Boeing Company for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts 5.51% EPS growth. 1/13/2018

California mudslides: Death toll rises to 17
The family rode out the storm unharmed on kitchen counters as the debris smashed through the walls and water swirled around them. Only an estimated 10 to 15% of residents fled when ordered and much of the damage occurred where evacuations were voluntary. 1/13/2018

Mud, Debris Block Highway 101 Days After Storm
Due damage and the large amounts of debris and mud, the road is blocked from Milpas Street to Highway 126 in Ventura. Island Packers is ferrying passengers from Ventura Harbor to Santa Barbara Harbor until the 101 Freeway reopens. 1/13/2018

Tesco (TSCO) Earns Top Pick Rating from Goldman Sachs Group
The Company is engaged in the business of Retailing and associated activities (Retail) and Retail banking and insurance services. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 209 ($2.83) per share, for a total transaction of £137.94 ($187.06). 1/13/2018

22 hedge funds buy SunPower Corporation (SPWR) for the first time
The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . Baird reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of SunPower in a research note on Friday, September 1st. 1/13/2018

BHP Billiton (BBL) Given "Hold" Rating at Jefferies Group
Acrospire Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BHP Billiton by 127.3% during the second quarter. In terms of moving averages, the 200-day is now at 34.39, the 50-day is 38.32, and the 7-day is resting at 42.94. 1/13/2018

Investors Buy Pepsico (PEP) on Weakness
The stock has "Buy" rating by Jefferies on Friday, September 30. (NASDAQ:PEP) has "Buy" rating given on Friday, July 8 by UBS. The stock of NVR, Inc. (NYSE:EGP) has "Hold" rating given on Monday, October 23 by KeyBanc Capital Markets. 1/13/2018

Baby girl weighing only 400 gm at birth survives
Dr Sunil Janged, chief neonatologist at the hospital, said: "When the baby was born, we were uncertain of what could happen". The majority of her medical costs of Rs 1,000,000 (£11,500) were also waived by the hospital, given the family's low income. 1/13/2018